Review - Aerodaks

Review – Aerodaks

I bumped into the Aerodaks crew at the UTA expo on the Friday and we got talking. Talking about undies. I was impressed with their passion and knowledge towards ultra running and found they had developed a product that aimed at making the long journey around the UTA course that bit more bearable for the male runner. Raz offered me a chance to test their product and as I was expecting some form of chafe anyway I broke that golden rule and tried something new on race day.

I competed in the UTA50 and wore the Aerodaks briefs throughout the entire 6hrs of my race. I am reviewing the product from my experience on the day and since the event I have been made an ambassador for Aerodaks.

This is my account;

They reminded me of speedo’s but made from a similar material that the undies built into running shorts are made off. I got a pair of size 30 and 32 to trial and went with the 32 on race morning. I think the best way to sum up the Aerodaks experience I had from UTA this year was one of no problems, I was super happy and pleasantly surprised.

Fit – they fit true to pants sizing, I’m normally a 31 so I went up a size during the race and they were fine. They didn’t ride up or fall down and stayed where they should throughout the entire event. After the race I wore the 30 size and found they were a good fit and offered some compression effects which was good for my recovery. At first I questioned the need for the drawstring that comes with the briefs, I didn’t know whether it was beneficial or not but as it was there I just ran with it. The drawstring can be removed if you like so that allows a more personal choice but for me I’m keeping it as it offers additional support in keeping them up.

Feel – I honestly didn’t notice them during the race, they were very comfortable and just wore well. They didn’t hold moisture and in my experience chafe shows up when it gets sweaty or rainy so I was happy that this didn’t happen when it got hot an hour after the start. They “stayed” dry throughout and felt light with no seam rubbing, wedgie’s or anything like that. The technology and time put into the brief’s has paid off and they crack up to their billing on the website that’s for sure.

Post UTA – I have been literally living in my few pairs. I have them on high rotation and they wash super well and have not worn, tattered or gone out of shape. They are reliable and in my line of work as a PDHPE teacher I find having a good quality set of undies is very beneficial. They wash and dry super quick allowing you to get a few pairs rather than buying one pair for every day of the month.

As a person who runs for enjoyment I found the most horrible aspect of running is equally split between blisters and chafe. Aerodaks have solved my chafe issues and I can honestly say that I will not buy another pair of undies other than Aerodaks in the future, they are just that good.

Image - Aerodaks 

Why Park Run?

First up what is parkrun? Good question, put simply it is a community organised non-profit weekly timed 5km running/walking event held in various locations all around the world laid out on what is deemed safe and suitable terrain, such as the paths around a park. You can head to the parkrun website for more info.

I ran back to finish with Charley (pictured), Beau and their mates on the weekend.

Bathurst is lucky enough to have a group of hard working volunteers take on the challenge to form a committee and organise an event to take place in Bathurst each week of the year. Awesome news for every single person in town on a Saturday at 8am in my view, but even more awesome news for those involved in the running community and most importantly for my family. I have only praise for those who have committed to the set-up and running of the event each week, I hope to be able to offer my time as often as I can in the future too.

The word parkrun pretty much spells out what it is all about

People.

Parkrun is about community and building bonds between all members of our community, no matter what age, gender, experience or culture we all can run and having an event like this allows us to share this simple pleasure.

Active.

This is a chance to move in a non-judgmental, supportive environment. There are no awards just a chance for runners to turn up and move however they like for 5km each week. A key to developing an active culture within the community.

Running. 
As a coach and performance orientated runner I get the opportunity to use the event each week in a constructive manner. In my coaching I can connect with my athletes and provide my knowledge and skill to those seeking advice in a meaningful manner. As a runner this provides me a regular test within my training plan in a more competitive environment.

Kids. 
My kids can participate in the event each week with my wife and I and also with their friends. Both boys had a ball last week and the challenge of improving each week is definitely there for them. They are really looking forward to turning up each week and having more fun running.

Regular. 
Consistency is key to success in any aspect of life; running is a great example of this. You get out what you put in and having a weekly event to measure your progress against will allow each runner to achieve his or her own individual and unique goals. As a coach having my athletes able to use an event like this is awesome.

A good chance to test yourself each week.

Unrestricted. 
You can do it, so can your kids, your Nan or Pop and even your dog (on a lead of course). Mums and Dads can run with a pram and you don’t have to run the whole way you can walk if that’s what you want to do. Just register and print your bar code, stick to the path and complete the 5km course and you’ll get a time.  Or if you are keen to get involved on a different level you could always volunteer and be involved in an awesome community that way.

Nothing to pay. 
It’s free! and accessible. Sport can be expensive and very time consuming but parkrun offers an affordable and time effective option for everyone to get involved in. See it as a chance to better your best or a chance to start from scratch but see it as an opportunity to participate.

Parkrun Bathurst occurs each week @ 8am in Bicentennial Park at the river end of William St. I encourage everyone to come along for a run or volunteer where you can.

Photo Credit

Western Advocate 

Go Ihsigame

My Next Adventure

This blog originally was meant to have a cool Inov8 video showing running over iced up rocks, snowed under trails and mountains fit for skiing rather than running. But upon reflection my next big adventure is not Snow Trail in September, it's the lead up to the event, all the training and preparation that needs to occur in order to perform at the level that I expect.

The level I have been falling well short of lately.

Yep my feelings towards September are that of excitement, eagerness and intrigue. I am super keen to take part in a snow race and it being at Falls Creek in the Aussie Alps is freaking rad. But I am also keen if not keener to put to bed the endless flow of ups and downs I have been suffering since 2014. 

I won't go back too far, looking more at the last little while but I figure if I'm going to run well again and get that buzz, we all know that feeling of a PB or a solid race, then I have to be completely frank and honest with myself, holding nothing back in review.

1) I took things for granted: my commitment hasn't been perfect. Don't get me wrong I train hard, sacrifice and so on but excellence requires total commitment, it requires total belief and it requires immersing yourself in the moment to achieve what is desired.

2) I became too focused on the events rather than the training required to do them: in short I wanted the cake without baking it first. Yes events are fun, the expo's, friends, celebrations, etc. but it's in the preparation where the real character is developed. I have the mind for this now and while my results are a ways off what I'd like I have also eliminated the DNF from my results sheet of late. I have been working on the mental aspect of my training and with more time and energy expended in preparation before the event the I would hope finishes will turn into solid results.

3) The fundamentals were being glossed over: I need to get back to basics. My running is getting back towards the simple philosophy of developing overall efficiency. Nothing beats time on feet and I probably spent a little too much time worrying about strength work, sacrificing running. I am still including strength in my program but my focus is improving my running for now and the max deadlift is being benched for the time being.

4) My schedule was a mess: routine is key to success. Due to circumstances in work and life in general that were not always within my control, I too easily adjusted things here and there, doing this run today not tomorrow or shaving 10min so I could squeeze it in after lunch. This approach to training will get me through races, but it won't give me the competitive edge on race day. I always tell my athletes to believe in the process, it's time for me to have patience and faith that the consistency of sticking with a training program will return results. I have seen this with my clients and now its my turn to put this into practice to get back to my best.

My year so far has been a great learning curve and I feel that looking towards the back end of 2016 I can implement the required changes to be running more consistently. I don't want a good performance followed by a bad one, I want a steady flow of solid running and from that I will move into races performing well, knowing what to expect of my body. I have been very unpredictable in my big events thus far in 2016, both Buffalo and UTA had good moments that were derailed by clear conditioning issues leading to substandard performances. I expect better of myself than this but I got what I deserved and now it's time to act rather than let things continue to flow along.

I need to be more hungry, motivated, determined, focused and competitive with my myself. It's time to have a break from racing, focus on quality training and get things right, not for anyone else but for myself. I need to be true to myself and with a winter of training ahead it is time to get excited about just running again.

Below is a photo journey of my last few months.

Buffalo Stampede 2016 - The Skymarathon money shot by Steve Harris.
I'd love to feel great racing up the big walk one day.

STS Manly Dam - things were looking far better....

than at Knapsack a few weeks later!

Orange Volcanic Mtn Challenge 2016 - another performance well off my best
but it's always good to get on the trails around Mt Canobolas again and
 as usual I wasn't disappointed.

Bathurst Half Marathon 2016 - my slowest half since Mudgee in 2012 but a rad shot
showing the joy of getting a high five from dad. I was just as happy post high five too.

Buffalo Stampede - finishing on Mt Buffalo was made a bit sweeter by having my family there
to share the moment. I struggled getting up the mountain but the gallery loop was a race highlight.

Ultra Trail Australia 2016 - another not so good result but
a finish and rad weekend away in the mountains.
Photo Bomb Credit - Kerry Suter.

Lithgow King of the Mountain 2016 - 3 wins on the trot, although a win my performance was sub-standard after
coming back from injury just 9 days earlier. As you can see the Force is Strong in my Boys.